Stafford County Economic Development has been awarded a $3,900 grant towards constructing and renovating rental housing to address a severe shortage of modern and affordable workforce housing in a county where the average age of a house is 86 years old, and 80% of the housing stock is in less than “good” condition according to the county appraiser. The grant is part of an annual competition sponsored by Bike & Build, a national nonprofit that engages young adults ages 18-28 in service-oriented cycling trips across the United States.Bike & Build operates eight cross-country routes each summer. Approximately 32 riders team up on each of thes routes to pedal from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, along the way stopping in hundreds of communities to build with local housing affiliates like Stafford County Economic Development and to advocate for the need for increased availability of affordable housing for low-income Americans.The grant awarded to Stafford County Economic Development was made by the North Carolina to San Diego route (NC2SD). The riders on this trip, hailing from all over the United States, raised over $162,000 to donate to various housing nonprofits. Bike & Build riders both fundraise the money to support these organizations and make the competitive funding decisions. "Thank you for being amazing and gracious hosts. I loved every minute I spent working with you and I think that you have beautiful communities," said Carolyn Michaels, 2015 NC2SD rider. The NC2SD group valued the proposal submitted by Stafford County Economic Development because of its promise to engage young adults in addressing this serious need in Stafford County. Anna Allende, 2015 NC2SD rider added, "I hope all is well in Stafford County! I rode through with my Bike & Build family this summer. I admired your efforts to revive the local economy and draw the youth population back. I hope to one day find myself living in a small, rural community like Stafford's. Continue to make a change!"

“We are deeply proud to support Stafford County, KS Economic Development as they work to provide area low-income residents with stable, affordable homes. Our riders work extraordinarily hard to raise the money that funds Bike & Build grants. They are excited to see that effort pay-off with such an innovative project idea,” said Justin Villere, Bike & Build’s Senior Director of Operations and Development.

Christine Foote, 2015 NC2SD rider said, "Thank you so much for taking the time to come and talk to us, educate us, and enlighten us - especially on the specific challenges you face as small communities. That was the most in-depth, all-encompassing presentation we received throughout our trip. You are clearly very passionate about your work, not to mention extremely well educated and resourceful. I admire your dedication. Keep it up! You absolutely earned this."

“Constructing better and affordable rental properties is part of the overall strategy to combat community decline by retaining and recruiting more young adults to our towns to live and raise their families,” said Carolyn Dunn, Executive Director at Stafford County Economic Development. “I am grateful for the support Bike and Build has given us, both monetarily and in terms of their volunteer labor. The energy they have brought to our county has been reaffirming and energizing to our local volunteers, and I hope to continue working with this organization into the future.”

Based in Philadelphia, Bike & Build is a nonprofit organization that encourages young adults to address the country’s affordable housing crisis by participating in cross-country bicycle trips each summer. Trip participants, ages 18-28, support the affordable housing cause by fundraising and building. Since 2003, Bike & Build has engaged over 3,000 young adults to contribute over $5.8 million and 200,000 volunteer hours to housing nonprofits throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.bikeandbuild.org or call (267) 331-8488.

Stafford - The City of Stafford is moving right along with the active transportation policy that was started in 2013 by past Program Director, Sydney Blanton, and her Healthy Communities Initiative Leadership Team. Stafford County Economic Development received a Healthy Communities Initiative Grant through the Kansas Health Foundation in 2013 to promote active and healthy lifestyles.

“I am excited that the City of Stafford is moving forward with our active transportation policy," said Ashlee Bevan, Program Director for Stafford County Economic Development. "Within our Live Well Stafford County, KS Leadership Team, we want to promote active and healthy lifestyles as well as we can. When safety is an added factor to where exercise opportunities exist, more people will be apt to getting out and staying active."

Jan Chatman, Stafford Recreation Commission Director, took the lead in educating and talking with the City of Stafford to get sharrows painted along a Master Walk/Bike Plan completed by PedNet for an active transportation policy that Live Well Stafford County is implementing.

The City of Stafford created their own wooden stencil to use now, and in the future to keep the sharrows visible. Starting at the corner of Main and Stafford you will find the white sharrows going north on Main. At Main and Topeka the sharrows go westward to Green Ave. where they then head south all the way to Broadway. The majority of Broadway will have sharrows. A smaller-scale sharrow stencil is being made so sharrows can be painted on sidewalks downtown where parking eliminates sharrows on the streets.

A “sharrow is short for "shared lane bicycle marking". This pavement marking includes a bicycle symbol and two white chevrons and is used to remind motorists that bicyclists are permitted to use the full lane. There are no striped bicycle lanes on streets marked with sharrows.”

Health Equity and Civic Health are the two program areas that KHF focuses. The Kansas Health Foundation is located in Wichita with a mission to improve the health of all Kansans. The Foundation believes that “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” The sale of Wesley Medical Center in 1985 became the foundation of KHF with a $200 million endowment with a focus of improving the health of Kansans. The Kansas Health Foundation has flourished for several decades expanding their line of work. For more information about KHF, visit http://kansashealth.org/aboutus/history.

“I am excited that the City of Stafford is moving forward with our active transportation policy," said Ashlee Bevan, Program Director for Stafford County Economic Development. "Within our Live Well Stafford County, KS Leadership Team, we want to promote active and healthy lifestyles as well as we can. When safety is an added factor to where exercise opportunities exist, more people will be apt to getting out and staying active."

Article published in the St. John Newspaper on Wednesday, October 14th.